Research Milestones
2010
Commencement of the Institute's first clinical trial.
Opening of access to the Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank for researchers.
2009
Appointment of Professor Vaughan Carr to the Chair of Schizophrenia Epidemiology and Population Health, a joint initiative of the Schizophrenia Research Institute, University of New South Wales & NSW Health.
2008
Discovery of rare genetic abnormality affecting estrogen receptor linked to schizophrenia.
Identification of altered levels of micro RNA in schizophrenia-affected brains, presenting an exciting new target for schizophrenia researchers.
2007
New computer-based remediation tool demonstrates improved recognition of facial expressions of emotion in schizophrenia.
2006
Launch of the Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank, the largest ever national brain research project in schizophrenia, which is collecting wide-ranging data on patients with schizophrenia and controls to support large-scale research programs.
Appointment of Australia's first chair of Schizophrenia, Professor Cyndi Shannon Weickert - the Macquarie Group Foundation Chair of Schizophrenia Research is a joint initiative of the Schizophrenia Research Institute, University of New South Wales, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, the Macquarie Group Foundation & NSW Health.
Discovery that blood lymphocytes can be used to identify distinct gene expression profiles within schizophrenia.
2005
Discovery through new functional MRI scanning of impaired brain function and reduced regional cortical thickness in brain of first-episode schizophrenia.
2004
Similar altered styles of interpreting facial emotions shown in first degree relatives of schizophrenia patients, which may be a marker in diagnosis.
Evidence that visual scan path dysfunction may be a trait marker in familial transmission of schizophrenia by demonstrating similar, but attenuated, restricted visual scan paths in response to facial emotions in first degree biological relatives of schizophrenia patients.
2003
Suggested link between chronic cannabis users and first episode schizophrenia patients shown through reduced brain activity during planning task.
1995
Discovery of differences in the brain's auditory processing (known as mismatch negativity), which may be a biological marker of vulnerability to schizophrenia.
Please visit our research database,
Brain Works, for information on every Schizophrenia Research Institute supported study.
